Mayor says Government failing to pay up in school repairs row
COUNCILLORS in Doncaster have called on the borough's mayor to speed up outstanding repairs at a primary school which has had areas closed safety reasons.
During a visit to Hayfield Primary School in Finningley, councillors were given insight into several outstanding repairs posing risks on the site.
They were shown the extent of mould growing within the roof, which has damaged several ceilings.
The library and several other parts of the school are now closed to pupils as a safety measure, due to the risk of ceilings crumbling during school hours.
In addition, water reportedly leaks through several light fixtures in the school while electrical issues have plunged areas into darkness.
Councillors expressed their dismay on their Facebook group, which represents the ward's three Conservative members.
They wrote: “The head told us today that funding is available from government but would need to be applied for from the local authority.”
The constituency's Conservative MP Nick Fletcher shared that he had written a letter to the council, asking it to take "urgent remedial action",
Ms Jones shared that a request for emergency funding from the government had been denied.
Responding to the criticisms from the MP and councillors, she said: "City of Doncaster Council places utmost priority on the health and safety of all pupils and staff in its schools and completes regular condition surveys, risk assessments and action plans to address identified issues with its school buildings.
“Colleagues have been working closely with Hayfield Lane Primary School for some time regarding a number of maintenance issues, including the status of the lower site roof, which has been kept under regular review, with any concerns dealt with in a timely and proportionate way.
“City of Doncaster Council currently has responsibility for 24 maintained schools across the city, with a total assigned budget from the Department for Education (DfE) of £902,000 to cover any improvement or maintenance work in all of those schools for the financial year of 2024/25.
“This has been allocated, based on assessed need, to 33 projects covering each of the 24 schools and some Family Hubs. Currently, Hayfield Lane Primary School has already been assigned £167,000 from this budget.
“Our officers are looking at options for a new roof for Hayfield Lane Primary School and proceeding with a plan to get this in place subject to approvals and sourcing of funding.
“However, early estimates suggest this will cost in excess of £1m and unlike small Academy Trusts, the council are not eligible to apply for any further funding on top of the already assigned £902,000.
“I will be writing to both the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Education, as it is simply not fair that Hayfield Primary is not eligible for emergency funding from government whereas the same school under an Academy Trust would be eligible.”